


Between the Scenes

by Nepsa



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Best Friends, Bromance, Canon Compliant, Caring, Comfort, Episode Related, Episode Tag, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Hugs, Pre-Slash, Stranded, Worried Steve McGarrett, Worry, lost at sea, mcdanno
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 22:17:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11091054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nepsa/pseuds/Nepsa
Summary: Some scenes I wish had happened in episode 3.03 when Steve and Danny are left stranded in the ocean.  3 chapters for 3 'missing' scenes from throughout the episode. Some fix-its of sorts.





	1. In the Dinghy

“Great, just great! I can’t fucking believe this. We were supposed to have a nice day on a boat, drink some beers, and now look at us: left to die!” Danny threw his arms wildly in the air. Steve sat in front of Danny, back in the dinghy because the tiger shark was still nearby. 

 

“Danny--”

 

“No, first we get held at gunpoint and boat jacked because you _had_ to go rescue someone--”

 

“Hey, I didn’t know he had a gun! How would I know he had a gun? That isn’t my fault!”

 

Danny finally looked his partner hard in the eyes, “No, it wasn’t your fault, Steven. You were just trying to be a good, helpful person because that’s who you are. But the forces of the universe just _had_ to make it the worst possible scenario!”

 

Danny continued to theatrically count off on his fingers, “ _Then_ all we’re left with is a sinking dinghy _with holes in it_ , no motor, in the middle of the ocean, and now we’re being circled by a damn tiger shark!”

 

Steve looked out to the ocean at the shark who was a fair distance away now but still too close for comfort.

 

Danny continued his tirade aimed at no one in particular except the boat-jacker himself and the universe as he waved his arms around in exasperation.

  
Steve only half listened as his eyes flickered between his partner, the dinghy, and the ocean as he tried to formulate a plan... and a back up plan.

 

“...and now we’re going to be doomed to drown--” Danny’s voice cracked at that last part and he stopped talking.

 

Steve’s head whipped toward his partner, now paying full attention, as Danny’s hands fell limply in his lap and he just stared at the floor of the dinghy.

  
Steve’s heart plummeted when he saw that Danny’s fiery expression was completely gone and now all that was left was the unguarded expression of panic.

 

Steve scooched closer in front of Danny and stood on his knees to lean into his partner as he gripped both of Danny’s biceps to ground him. “Hey. Look at me,” he said softly. He realized now that Danny was breathing more rapidly than he should have. He squeezed Danny’s arms a little harder. “Danny.”

 

Slowly, Danny brought his eyes up to meet Steve’s.

 

“It’s going to be okay, Danny. We’re going to be fine.” Steve spoke with such tenderness, his expression soft as he hunched in front of his tense partner.

 

“You don’t know that.” When Danny spoke, it was not his usual strong, loud voice that was usually customary with his spirited nature. Now, his voice was rough and subdued. He was losing faith.

“I do, buddy. I do. Catherine was supposed to pick us up, remember? That was hours ago so she knows we’re missing. The team is probably out searching for us now. It’s only a matter of time.”

 

Danny shrugged one shoulder half-heartedly. He wasn’t convinced.

 

“Hey. Come here, man,” Steve said as he gently leaned in and wrapped his arms around Danny’s torso, pulling him into a hug. For a few moments, the hug was not being reciprocated and Steve was about to back off when he felt Danny shift closer and bring his arms around Steve’s shoulders. Danny tucked his face into the cook of Steve’s neck and after another moment, Steve felt Danny’s face scrunch up and press into him as his arms tightened around Steve’s neck.

 

Steve knew that Danny usually hid behind anger, rants, and sarcasm when he was worried or stressed so Steve knew that his friend could really use comfort since Danny had gotten to the point of showing vulnerability. For once, Steve was only slightly thankful that no one was around so Danny didn’t have to try to bottle it up and lash out. Despite taking the brunt of Danny’s rage, he knew it was all a front. Truth was, Steve was worried too. But he knew that the team had to be looking for them by now, so he just wanted to make sure Danny believed it, too.


	2. In the Yacht

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing scene from after they were on the yacht.

Steve was still down in the innards of the boat, trying to figure out what went wrong with the engine. He was tired, and to be honest with himself, he was distressed about the situation he and Danny were in. He did know that people would be looking for them by now but how long would that take? The ocean was vast and right now they were stuck and--as much as Steve hated to admit it--helpless.

 

He knew Danny was feeling the same way. He’d been trying to calm Danny down in the dinghy, reassuring him about their imminent rescue, but Steve ended up just resigning himself to being the indirect target of Danny’s anger and blame--though he knew Danny didn’t _really_ blame Steve for all this. The pair had hugged and stayed that way for a while, grounding each other, and Danny was less cantankerous for the rest of the time in the dinghy. But the change in scenery from the sinking dinghy to the yacht that they thought was going to be their saving grace only revitalized Danny’s energy and indignation when the boat turned out to be just as useless, albeit safer, than the dinghy.

 

Though, this round of arguing didn’t last as long. After Steve bitterly asked, “This my fault, too?” about the yacht also being stranded, Danny faltered--even looked somewhat regretful--as he halfheartedly replied, “I’m just saying.”

 

Since then, Danny’s voice has been more dejected and solemn, which Steve noted when the two had discussed their theory of events of what took place on the yacht.

 

Speaking of Danny, Steve realized that his partner had suddenly become uncharacteristically quiet. He stopped fiddling with the engines and looked up at his partner who was sitting on the edge of the hatch opening with his shoulders slumped. Danny was looking out toward the ocean, staring at the horizon, but not really looking at all. Steve became troubled because, before, Danny’s eyes were full of fear and anger. But now, all that he saw in Danny’s eyes was defeat.

“Hey,” Steve started softly, as he reached up and placed what he hoped was a reassuring hand on his partner’s knee. “You okay?”

 

Danny tore his gaze away from the ocean and sighed, “Yeah. I just didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”

 

Steve’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah. Me neither.”

 

Steve had been so excited to take Danny out on this fishing trip. He knew that Danny had first held contempt for his birthplace of Hawaii but when Chin had mentioned comments Danny made while Steve was gone, he noticed that his partner’s attitude about the islands had started to change. Steve couldn’t help when a part of him was secretly elated when Danny had refused to move away from Hawaii immediately and fight the custody arrangement.

 

Steve wanted to take Danny to his favorite spots on the islands--places that he always had fond memories of from when he was a child to try to make the islands feel more like home to his city-loving partner. They started out hanging out on the beach together and becoming “surf buddies” as Mary liked to call them, then he started taking Danny to more sentimental spots.

 

Today, he wanted to bring Danny on a deep sea fishing trip. No distractions except each other, some cold beers, and the swaying ocean. He wanted Danny to experience the thrill of reeling in a fishing line, the rush of the battle to catch one, and the euphoria of finally capturing one and displaying his trophy tuna. Knowing that his partner wasn’t a fan of the ocean, Steve had wanted to try to break him out of that by creating fond memories with Danny so that he would associate these places with good times, especially now that he knew the tragic reason why Danny didn’t like the water.

 

Steve was crushed that, once again, his attempt at a big, exciting trip for him and his partner had been ruined by a sudden crisis. First, the hike to the ancient Hawaiian hieroglyphs being cut short due to a dead body and Steve’s scary looking injuries. Instead of a nice lunch in the mountains while Steve explained the carvings to his partner, the most significant memories for Danny were watching Steve get knocked out by a falling boulder, the guilt over the tangled rope that caused Steve to fall and break his arm, and the anxiety he had as he desperately pulled on the rope trying to get Steve off the cliff. Now, the memorable excitement from catching a massive tuna fish together is only going to be overshadowed by the scare of being boat-jacked and the panic of being stranded. Even though Steve knew it wasn’t entirely his fault, he couldn’t help but feel responsible and guilty that he had actually helped create even _worse_ memories about the islands, the exact opposite of his intentions.

 

Steve just wanted to make this place feel like home for Danny. He started to worry that he was only pushing him away.

 

Steve took his hand off Danny’s knee and continued to work on the engine. Danny grabbed things that he told him to but remained unconventionally quiet.

 

A while later, Danny got up and started shouting and Steve climbed out to help hail the Coast Guard boat. Danny smiled at Steve and visibly relaxed as the waited for the boat to get to them. They were saved! It was only uphill from here now, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Joke's on them, it wasn't the end of their troubles haha.


	3. At the Office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing scene from between when Chin and Catherine picked them up and the next scene with Steve where he's walking and talking with Chin, back in plain clothes. What happened in between and where's Danny?

Once Chin and Catherine drove the two back to the Palace, Danny and Steve looked at each other and immediately went to their offices to grab a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom together. 

 

On the drive back, they noticed the car smelled very strongly of old ocean water thanks to the partners’ clothes, which were now embedded with the salty water. Not to mention the grime that had accumulated from sweating and being stuck out in the sun too long. Plus, Steve was still covered in oil and grease from fiddling with the engines. Frankly, the two were filthy. But neither of them wanted to go home yet. They both wanted to catch their boat-jacker and punish him as soon as possible.

 

The Palace bathroom-slash-locker-room wasn’t very big, but it at least had two showers side-by-side. Danny had been rambling as the pair walked to the linoleum-tiled room and continued to do so as they both stripped to their undergarments before stepping into their respective neighboring stalls to remove the last piece of clothing. 

 

“Oh my God, I thought I’ve had enough water for today but this feels so nice,” Danny moaned as the warm, fresh water cascaded down on his body, making him feel refreshed. 

 

Steve closed his eyes and hummed in agreement, “Yeah, man. I think I may take more than three minutes with this one.”

 

“Oh ho! Mister Luxury over here! More than three minutes, wow, what opulence! What’s it gonna be, Steven? Five minutes?  _ Ten? _ How can I aspire to your level of high living?”

 

Steve chuckled at Danny’s sarcasm as he scrubbed the grease off of his arms. He could practically hear Danny’s hands move around in emphasis as he spoke. He played along, “You have to indulge every once in awhile.”

 

“Excuse me, ‘ _ indulge?’ _ You know, Steve, most people indulge with, I don’t know, a nice dinner, some fancy alcohol, maybe even a new TV or something. You’re the only person I know who’s idea of ‘indulgence’ is a couple extra minutes in a locker room shower at work.”

 

Steve smirked and the two continued to banter through the short courtesy wall between their stalls. 

 

Eventually, Steve turned off his water, dried off, and pulled back the curtain stepping out in his towel. Only a minute later, Danny followed suit. 

 

The pair faced away from each other in unspoken understanding as they took off their towels and put on their underwear, then turned around again and continued their conversation like nothing was amiss.

 

“I can’t believe we’re still working,” Danny grumbled as he pulled out a pair of slacks from his duffel bag and started to put them on.

 

Steve unrolled another tan pair of cargo pants. “You can go home if you want, Danno. No one would blame you.”

 

Danny laced his belt around his waist. “What, and leave you to catch this Scates guy without me?” He wagged his finger at Steve, “No no no, I want to find him just as fast as you do.” 

 

Steve smiled at Danny as he put on his socks at the same time Danny was untangling his own socks. “Alright, sounds good. But we’re not staying late. We both had quite the morning.”

 

“Pfft. You don’t have to tell me twice,” Danny huffed while he sat on the bench, lacing up his black leather shoes.

 

Steve quickly pulled on a navy blue cotton t-shirt and shoved his feet into his boots. “I wonder how this Scates guys knew Al Burgess. They seem like an unlikely pair.”

 

Danny worked on buttoning up his collared shirt. “I dunno... Chin mentioned he was a retired security guard, right? Burgess was wealthy, maybe he hired him for some security thing?” 

 

“Hmm, maybe,” Steve concurred as he laced up his boots. “I guess we’ll figure out what went wrong between them.”

 

Danny tucked in his shirt and rolled up his sleeves. “I think Kono’s been talking to the wife. Maybe she’ll figure something out.” 

 

Steve and Danny both zipped up their bags at the same time. 

 

“You ready to go?” Steve asked as he walked toward Danny.

 

Danny slicked back his hair one more time before replying, “Yeah.”

 

Steve spun Danny around and put his hand on his back as he led him out the door they came in from. Once they stepped out of the locker room, Steve let his hand drop and they both walked into Steve’s office.

 

“Hey, you hungry?” Danny asked. 

 

Steve raised an eyebrow.

 

“These guys already ate,” Danny continued. “I see the containers in the trash. I’m starving so I can only imagine you are too, especially considering you swam more than I did.”

 

Steve blinked. He hadn’t even thought of food but now that Danny mentioned it, he finally noticed the painful empty feeling in his gut. 

 

“Yeah, I could eat,” he said as he brought his hand up to his stomach to quell the impending growl.

 

“Okay, great. I’m gonna go grab us some sandwiches real quick from down the street, sound good? Your usual?” Danny asked as thumbed the direction he was heading.

 

Steve smiled fondly at Danny’s thoughtfulness. He held no ill-will toward Steve for the events of that morning. “Yeah, thanks Danny.”

 

Danny nodded and gave a warm grin as he gave Steve a thumbs up and walked out the door. 

 

Steve watched him go just as Chin entered his office with word that they had news and motioned for Steve to follow him to the other room. As Steve walked with Chin down the hallway, he realized how grateful he was that he and Danny were back on dry land with nothing more serious than a sunburn. Hopefully, the next outing Steve takes Danny on won’t be so harrowing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for this fic! Thanks for reading! I've got a couple ficlets/ideas from season 2 that I still have to write and fine-tune but I loved this episode and had to get this down. Let me know if you guys like these!! If so, I'll continue to do these episode-related fics as I work my way through this amazing series. Thanks again!


End file.
